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Arkansas Sen. Pryor greets challenger with negative ad

Incumbent Democratic Sen. Mark Pryor is welcoming a Republican opponent to the Arkansas Senate race with an ad calling him blindly ambitious pol who wants to cut benefits for old people. Freshman Rep. Tom

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Incumbent Democratic Sen. Mark Pryor is welcoming a Republican opponent to the Arkansas Senate race with an ad calling him blindly ambitious pol who wants to cut benefits for old people.

Freshman Rep. Tom Cotton announced late Tuesday that he will challenge Pryor for the Senate seat, though he just took his House seat in January. So Pryor is running a TV ad highlighting Cotton's votes against the farm bill, cutting interest rates for student loans, and the Violence Against Women Act. The ad says Cotton also wants to turn Medicare into a voucher system and cut Social Security. "Tom Cotton should be running – from his own record,'' the ad says.

Cotton announced his candidacy at a barbeque Tuesday, "I'm running because I think Arkansas deserves a senator who stands with them and not with Barack Obama," Cotton told The Associated Press before his announcement speech. "Mark Pryor, by his voting record over the last four and a half years, has proven that he now stands with Barack Obama, not with Arkansas."

Pryor is spending an estimated $45,000 to run the ad for two days, Politico reports. Pryor's campaign spokesperson, Amy Schlesing, declined comment.

The two won't face off on the ballot for 15 months. This isn't even Pryor's first campaign ad: he ran a spot in May after New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg advertised against him for his vote against expanded background checks. But Pryor, a Democrat in an increasingly Republican state, is so often called "vulnerable" it might as well be part of his name. He has been targeted by conservative groups for supporting President Obama's agenda and by Bloomberg for his significant departure from Democratic colleagues.